Strengthening Families Program To Be Offered Again

The Strengthening Families Program is currently enrolling Newtown families with children in the fifth or sixth grade in a seven-week program designed to prepare children for the teen years and to improve family communication. It is an opportunity to participate in parent discussions, youth activities, and family activities led by trained facilitators.

This is the second time this program is being offered to Newtown families. Feedback from the parents and students after the spring program was very positive. Parents indicated increased communication within the family and a new level of empathy and respect. Students talked a lot about learning to identify and handle stress and demonstrated peer pressure resistance techniques. They reported being able to sit down together to work on a problem without yelling or getting mad. One youth said, “I’ve learned to respect my elders more than I used to. I also learned how to organize and solve my problems.”

Parents reported that it was helpful to learn more effective ways to communicate and found it easier to “listen, talk and be cool and calm while setting rules and consequences. Yelling is almost gone.”

The Strengthening Families groups will begin in October and will be held on Wednesday evenings at Reed Intermediate School.

This program is free of charge. Child care is available and supper will be provided.

The Strengthening Families Program is made possible by a federal grant awarded to the Newtown Drug Free Communities Program in collaboration with Newtown Youth Services, Newtown Public Schools and the Family Counseling Center.

To register or for more information contact Cher Shannon at Family Counseling Center at 426-8103, extension 123, or email chershannon@familycounselingcenter.net.